ellipticum (Kunth) Dugand

NADIA NAVARRETE-TINDALL and MARIO A. ORELLANA NÓÑEZ USDA Forest Service, (Department of Biology, New State University) Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de El Salvador

BOMBACACEAE ( FAMILY)

Bombax ellipticum H.B.K., Carolinea insignis (Guzmán 1980, Witsberger and others 1982)

Acoque, amapola, árbol de doncellas, árbol de señoritas, calinchuche, clavelina, jilinsuche, matías, pilinsuchil, pumpo, shaving bush, shilo, shilo blanco, shilo colorado (Carr 1998a, 1998b; Guzmán 1980; Witsberger and others 1982)

Pseudobombax ellipticum is native to southern Mexico, El Sal- the elongated fruits are dehiscent capsules containing numer- vador, , and and has been introduced in ous seeds. The seeds are wind dispersed. the and Hawaiian islands and southern Florida The fruits are collected manually from the before (Carr 1998a, 1998b). opening and dried to extract the seeds. The small seeds are Pseudobombax elipticum is a tree that can reach 18 m in manually separated from the fibers and stored under cool and height and 1.3 m d.b.h. Its branches are close to the base of the dry conditions (Aragón 1998). stem. It is a deciduous tree with succulent stems, and leaves is propagated by seeds and that are palmately compound with five leaflets. The species cuttings. Seeds require sunny locations for germination. The grows well in dry and rocky habitats or poor soils and is shade cuttings, 40 to 100 cm in length and 2 to 5 cm in diameter, are intolerant. Pseudobombax ellipticum grows at elevations from easily rooted when planted in bags of sand and watered daily sea level to 1800 m (Witsberger and others 1982). or when planted directly in the field (Salter 1956). The wood of P. ellipticum is used for firewood and in the P handicraft of carving dishes. The seeds contain carbohydrates ADDITIONAL INFORMATION and can be consumed if toasted. In El Salvador, the tea of the flowers is used for gastrointestinal ailments and the tea of the Three other important species in the family are fresh bark is used to treat diabetes (González 1994, Guzmán petandra (L.) Gaerth, lagopus, and Bombacop- 1980). The tree is grown as an ornamental in Florida and sis quinatum (Jacq.) Dugand. Ceiba petandra is a multiple-use Hawaii (Kuck and Tongg 1960), and the attractive flowers are tree and is the source of the fine, cotton-like fiber kapok. It is used to decorate homes and churches in Central America. The the national tree of Guatemala (Rojas 1993, Watson and Dall- fine fibers of the fruits of several species of the Bombacaceae witz 1992a, 1992b). Ochroma lagopus, or balsa, is a well-known family, including P. ellipticum, are used to fill pillows and mat- tree that produces one of the world’s hardest light woods. tresses. The fibers have also been used to insulate refrigerators quinatum (synonym Bombax quinatum) is a tree (Salter 1956). The tree may be used as living fence in rural areas. that produces good quality wood and has been extensively In El Salvador, P. ellipticum loses its leaves December studied in Central America. This last species is easily propa- through May and flowers in December or January; its fruits gated in plantations (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investi- mature in January and February (Witsberger and others 1982). gación Enseñza 1991a) and has many botanical characteristics In Hawaii, it blooms in March (Kuck and Tongg 1960). The similar to those of P. ellipticum. Designing field studies of P. pink or white flowers are solitary and have numerous stamens; ellipticum similar to those of B. quinatum are necessary to eval- uate the growth rate and propagation methods.

664 Part II—Species Descriptions • Pseudobombax ellipticum (Kunth) Dugand P

Part II—Species Descriptions • Pseudobombax ellipticum (Kunth) Dugand 665